Active electronically steered antenna systems (“AESA systems,” a type of “phased array”) form electronically steerable beams for a wide variety of radar and communications systems. To that end, AESA systems typically have a plurality of radiating elements that apply energy so that each radiating element can be coherently (i.e., in-phase and amplitude) combined in the antenna far field. Specifically, many AESA systems implement beam steering by providing a unique RF phase shift and gain setting (phase and gain together constitute a complex beam weight) between each radiating element and a beamforming or summation point.
During use, beams transmitted by some AESA systems unintentionally can be configured in a form that reduces their effectiveness and/or efficiency. Such sub-optimal beams can indicate an underlying problem with their underlying system, which should be addressed to restore preferred operation.